Departing Oakland Police Chief Considering Gig At Harvard

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7:41 PM: Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts, citing scarce resources and “a lot of bureaucracy in the city of Oakland,” announced today he is resigning next month after two years on the job.

“No chief wants to be in a position where he or she has been held accountable but does not have the power to make a dramatic impact,” Batts said at a news conference with Mayor Jean Quan and City Manager Deanna Santana.

Batts, 51, was selected by former Mayor Ron Dellums in 2009 after having served for seven years as police chief in Long Beach.

He said he is considering taking a research and part-time teaching position at Harvard University.

Batts said in a letter to Oakland residents that he is resigning with “great regret” but said that during the past two years, “I found myself with limited control, but full accountability.”

“With a heavy heart, I have recognized that the conditions under which I was hired as chief have changed and do not allow me to fulfill the primary mission–to provide an environment where one can live, work, play and thrive free from crime and the fear of crime,” Batts wrote.

The chief said at the news conference that he wasn’t leaving because of any one issue, but rather because of “a layering of different things,” including the bureaucracy in the city’s structure.

Santana said she and Batts are in the process of settling on a date for his departure in early or mid-November. She said she will announce plans for transitional leadership of the police at a later time.

“I want to especially acknowledge the deep community relationships that Chief Batts has developed toward improving community relations and advancing community policing,” Santana said.

The conditions under which Batts is leaving include recent layoffs of about 150 officers because of budget problems and a U.S. judge’s warning that he may need to put the department under federal control because of delays in carrying out a civil rights lawsuit settlement.

Oakland had more than 800 officers two years ago, but now has 651. Last month, the city won a federal grant that will enable it to hire 25 more officers.

The lawsuit settlement was reached in 2003 in a case in which 119 Oakland citizens alleged in 2000 that four officers known as the “Riders” beat them, made false arrests and planted evidence on them.

The pact requires the city to increase field supervision of officers, improve training and improve investigation of citizen complaints.

At a hearing in San Francisco last month, U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson said he was troubled that the city had not yet completed the reforms.

Last week, the judge said in a written order that he may consider putting the department under the control of a court-appointed receiver if the reforms are not carried out soon.

“Although the court hopes that defendants are able to turn this tide in the next several months without further judicial intervention, it remains prepared to take appropriate further corrective action if necessary,” Henderson wrote.

The next hearing in the case is on Jan. 26.

Quan said in a brief statement at the news conference that she understood that “things were not what (Batts) thought it was going to be.”

She said she appreciated that Batts made the decision now so that the city could get an interim chief in place to work on the civil rights settlement and a safety summit in the next several months.

“I didn’t ask him to leave, but if he were to leave this was a good time so that somebody else could move this next phase forward,” Quan said.

Julia Cheever, Bay City News

3:09 PM: Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts announced today that he is resigning.

City Administrator Deanna Santana said Batts will leave office in early to mid-November.

Batts was hired in 2009 after serving for seven years as police chief in Long Beach.

He said in a letter to Oakland residents that he is resigning with “great regret” but said that during the past two years, “I found myself with limited control, but full accountability.”

“With a heavy heart, I have recognized that the conductions under which I was hired as chief have changed and do not allow me to fulfill the primary mission–to provide an environment where one can live, work, play and thrive free from crime and the fear of crime,” Batts wrote.

Santana said in a memo to the City Council and staff, “I am exploring my options on how to proceed,” and said she will make additional announcements about the leadership of the Police Department at a later time.

In the memo, Santana thanked Batts for his service.

“I want to especially acknowledge the deep community relationships that Chief Batts has developed toward improving community relations and advancing community policing,” Santana said.